Cleaning machine for containers



E. 'H. ATWOOD ET AL CLEANING MACHINE FOR CONTAINERS 5 Shets-Sheet 1 Filed May 26. 1926 INVENTORS WWMW ymzow 7;

who RNEYS ATWOOD ET AL- CLEANING MAQHINE FOR CONTAINERS Filed May 26.- 1926 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEW 1 '1646570 Oct 927 E. H. ATWOOD ET AL CLEANING MQCHINE FOR CONTAINERS 5 Sh eets-She t 3 Filed May 26, 1926 B flww O 1 N E T- M 0a. 2 192 r 1,646,570 7 E. H. ATWOOD ET AL CLEANING MACHINE FOR CONTAINERS Filed May.26, 1926 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 60511 1 lm glgons I Ca, BW

Oct, 25, 1927.

- E. H. ATWOOD ET AL CLEANING MACHINE FOR CONTAINE Filed May 26 1926 s Sh'eet's-Shee t' 5 4 ATTORNEY$ Patented Oct. 25, 1927. v

{UNITED} ST T-E I" YORK, 1v. 2., AooRroRATIon on NE YORK.)

"cnnemivemncnmn Fen communes. I l

I 1 1 Application filed m y 26, 1926-. serial N61 111,848.

I The present invention relates to cleaning;

- v1des-fa chamber beneath the*tank 4- which machines for barrels or other ,circularcontainers andani object thereof is'to provide a construction "in which the. barrel or -con' tainer is carried through a liquid :tank or 3 "bath: partially in a submerged condition,

while, at-the same time" being rotated tov effect contact between the bath'andtheentire surface of thebarrel orcontainer. Another object of the-invention is'to providea con-' struction in which the barrel is constructedto roll on a trackway atits uppermost portionwhile travelling through a bath so. that the; trackway serves to hold the barrel or container, against rising'in the bath and, at

thezsamettime, causes vtheu-otation of the? vbarrelor container. I

v ofthe machin g h 2 p I t I Y Fig"5 ''P JHeW ofanintermediatef I P rtion of themaehine; t I

Tothese and other ends, the invention consists-of certainparts and combinations of parts, 7 described; the novel features being, out in the appended claims.

In the drawings: p V. 4 Fig.1 isa plan view, with parts broken away, of an, apparatus constructed in accordance with this invention;. Fig. 2, is an enlarged plan'view; takeend of the machine; v

pointed machine asillustrated iII Fig. 25 1 a I Fig. lisa planviewvof-the,

Fig.6 is a sideview oftheEsaIne portion;

tioni;of -the machine i V Fig,

Referring more-particularly to the embodthe side walls oft-this .ichamber' are cross "beams 3, in' this instance of. channel forma;

ion;

ported an immers ng tank l formedqin' this; f sheet rnetaland having 1ts;-ojpinstance; 1.

positefendsfi and 17; inclined and supporte H in-spacedrelation to the ends 8 and 9 of the "concrete Zbase so all of which willbe hereinafter charge tend Fig; 7-is a side View ofithe discharge potlongitudinally extending" the ends of the beams beinganchored; FT inthebase 1.1.0.11. these ss beam-S that; anentrance and an outlet are provided. v This arrangementpro Enwrn n; nqcwoonlwnnrnn E. WANNERQ onAnnnon A, KI'E 'EQAND EDWARD 11.. j i wRIGHnfoF 0L AN', 1\TEw .yoamessrelvons To vncumv QILGOMPANY,.OIE yE'w opens vertically beyond the opposite endsof Vertical supports 1l 'resting th ohi crete base 1 may rise verticallyfr'om the lati ter on'the outer' sides' of theta'nk 4: andiare connected by' cross pieces 12. These c'r0'sfs-*"' pieces" 12 forin supports for a rmckwa {are ranged above the tank ,4. Thisitrackway,- in fl this instance, comprisestwo longitudinally ,l2and connected by tie rods l 'which hold them in parallel relation. The ends-ofthese I tracks '13 are 'deflectedupwardly at "-15 and k '16 above the inclined'portions 6 and 7 re-r .spectively, sothat barrels'or containers trav' i Q elling: clown theinclined 'portion 6 and pp the inclined portion 7 are guided onto and Within the tank 4 is contained the bath to "whichuthe barrelsor containers are subject Jed while I travelling on thetrackway I13: through the tank 4. fllhisbath may contain i v I any suitable alchemical which-will attack -grease, paint lor dirt onthe-exteriorlofthe p I v I wbarre'l, the-barrel beingmade air tightn-sof- 1 Fig-3, is ,a section of he intake end of the,

from the tracks 13.

fan

that the 'contents* of the bath cannot enter "thefinterior of the barrelor container -and',iiat'the 'same time, the airwithin the" barrel I i gives the latter a"tendency1to-fioat on the top V 10f the-liquid, However,:the"tracks 13areoso ,positionedg'thatthey hold the barrel/over =1ha1f submerged in the bath, so that asfthe I barrel travelsjalon'gthe trackway itsrotat es i .and the entire; surface of: the barrel is sub Tjected't-ofltheaction of the bath. a J- A ilitablen'ieansjfor;movingthe barrei 01. 5 containers 1 through the lbaths may be}.em- I ;-ployed.--,."In vie-this, instance, an endless cons veylor has one ilap operating through the bath 1 beneath the trackway andithe' other lapiops fi j eratingjbelow the tanki'containingthebath i andzwithin the channeled base 1. This con-1a:

jveyor, inthi's'instance; embodies two sprocket chainssl 7 and 18 con-n'ected'by tie rods 191s'o I that they ;n1ove together,2 these-tie-rods eachg' preferably" having provided Q thereon 'L twofro]1ersf20;' ?lThese rods prefera bly also prov v .105 I projecting ends are pr ovidedlwith rollers2 l =-zwhich operatein grooved ways formedon w opposite sides of thet'ank Each ofthese :ject'beyondthe sprocket chainsl and on their grooved ways embodies an upper angle iron member 22 and a lower angle lron member 23 the upper angle 1IOI1 member being de fiected upwardly at 24 at both ends in order to facilitate the entrance of the rollers 21 between the members 22 and23. The lower member 23 is extended at both ends beyond the curved ends 24of the member. 22 and up; wardly over the inclined end portions 6 and 7 of the tank 4, so that the rollers 21 travel on said extensions as the conveyor moves into and out of the tank.

The forward end of the conveyor may be supported-by two sprockets 26 on ashaft 27 supported on the base 1, the shaft 27 being mounted in bearings 28 which through take up screws 29 will shift for the purpose of securing the slack in the upper end. of the Y wheel shaft 37 which meshes with the worm,

not shown,, on the motor shaft 38. This train of gearingbetween the motor shaft 38- and the shaft 31 acts as a reducing gearing between-1 the motor 39 and the shaft, so that the endless conveyor travels slowly as compared with the speed of rotation of the motor. c v a Thelower lap-of the conveyor. as before pointed out, passes-between the ends of the tank and the base member and through the channelor chamber formed beneath the tank 4. In this instance, the rollers 20 travel on i .the channel trackways 40 arranged on the bottom of the channeled base 1 and in order that the lower lap of the conveyor may not accidentally rise and engage the cross-beams 3, longitudinally extending plates 41 are arrangedon'the underside of the cross beams V 3 between the channel trackways 40. v

The barrels or containers pass, tothe machine preferably on' tracks. 42 and these tracks have adjustable-extensions 43 which project forwardly toward the conveyor so that the barrels come to rest between theends of these: extensions '43 and the receiving ends of two tracks 44; These tracks 44 are-sup ported on the shaft 27 and have theirreceivc ing ends-curved downwardly at 45, their other ends being extended over the inclined receiving end. 6 of the tank so that when the rollers 20-pass upwardly atlthe. receiving --unti-l it reaches the inclined bottom 6 of the end'of the conveyor they vengage with a barrel restingbetween the ends of the track 4:3i and the receiving'track Y44 and move said barrel forwardly; on said receiving. trackstank when the -barre'lrorr container moves down such inclined bottom between two sets of rollers, 20 on two different cross bars 19.

tween which the barrel- These cross'pieces are provided with rollers As the barrel or container passes down the bottom 6 of the receiving end of the tank, it eventually passes under the curved ends 5 of the trackway formed by the channel members 13'. When itreaches the horizontal portion of this trackway, the barrel. or container is within the main body portion of the tank whichis filled to such a point that the liquid rises above the central axis of the barrel or container. Thereafter, the barrel or container rolls along the trackway formed by the channel irons 13, being held against a said trackway by the buoyancy of the barrel or container and being moved along the trackway by the endless: conveyor. As a consequence, the barrel or container is rotated and all portions thereof are subjected to the action of the bath. Thetank is of such" length that. this bath when containing oneorc more chemicals to attack the paint or grease on the surface'of the container will have su f ficienttime to perform such function. After the barrel or container has} passed through themain body portion of the tank or bath, it reaches the discharge end of the latter and is rolled up the inclined portion 7 and onto the rollers 46 arranged on the shaft 31 at the discharge end of the-machine, these rollers engaging thebarrel todirect it onto a suitable trackway not shown, which may lead to a'scrubbing or other cleaning mech:

anism of any suitable type.

From the foregoing it will be seen thatthere has been provided a barrel cleaning machine in which a barrel or container is moved through a liquid bath and held partially submerged in said bath by a trackway engaging the uppermost portion of the bar'- rel or container an-dacti'ng also to rotate such barrel or container in its movement through the bath so that all portions ofthe" barrel or container are subjected to the'actjion of the bath. In movlng through the bath, the barrel "or container is operated upon by an endless conveyor which, in this instance, embodies two outer Y endless members: or sprocket chains connected or container lies.

which make it impossible for the-cross pieces tointerfere with the rotation of the barrel lqr container in its travel through the liquid 'ath. I

to secure by Letters, Patent is:

Whatwe'clai-m as our invention-and desire I 1: A container ol'eaningmachine embodyg providing a bath, a

ing an elongated tank by cross pieces betrackway extending longitudinally of the Y tank in'spaced relation to the bottom" for" engaging the uppermost part of a container travelling through said tank to hold it atleastpartially submerged in the bath, and means for moving said container through thetank with its uppermost portion in engage-- mentwith the trackway to cause the' con.

' tainer to be rotated while moving through the bath, said means extending beyond 0p- 7 posite ends of the trackway to move the container under and from under the trackway.

2. In a container cleaning machine, theopposite end portions With inclined bottom' walls,,of an endless conveyor for moving a container through' the tank and down one inclined end bottom wall and up the other,

4 said endless co nveyor embodying two endless members and'transverse pieces connecting said endless members between which the containers lie, and saidendless'conveyor having one lap operating through the tank and another lap operating beneath the tank and a trackway having its ends situated bea tween the opposite ends'of the conveyor,

4:. In a container cleaning machine, an elongated tank for holding the liquid bath, an endless conveyor having a lap operating through the tank to'move containers through V the tank, and atrackway arranged above said lap to cooperate'with uppermost portionsof the containers'moved by such lap through the, tank, the opposite ends offthe track being curved upwardly and being situated between the ends of the lap.

' 5.In a container cleaning machine, the

combination with an elongated tank with end portions provided with inclined bottoms, of an endless conveyor for moving a container through the tank having a lap operating over said'inclined bottomsjto move the containers down one end portion and up the otherof said inclined bottoms, and a trackway for cooperating with the upper portions of a container moved by said endless conveyor,

said trackway having its ends deflected up- 'wardly over said inclined bottoms.

6. In a containercleaning -machine, the

combination with a base member provided 7 with a longitudinally extending channel, of

cross pieces bridging the channel of the base member, a tank. supported on said cross pieces over said channel, and a conveyor havin one lap operating above-the tank and the ot er lap voperatingibelow the tank in. i

said channel.

I 7. In a container cleaning machine, the

60 combination withaa base memberprovided g with a longitudinally extendingchannehof cross pieces bridging the channel ofthe base anember, a tank supported on said cross pieces over said channel,'a conveyor having 'one lap operatingabovelthe tank and the? other lap operatingbelow the tank in said;

channel, and trackways arrangedon the bot.-

tom of the channelled baseand supporting the lower lap of the conveyor.

Arwoong W.- E. WANNER.

" CLARENCE ,A. KIEHLE. j.

3 E, H; WRIGHT, 

